Uninhabited Spaces

So it’s 1976, maybe 1977. Yours truly is onstage at Churchill Street Public School in Ottawa, narrating the Nativity Story. I’m not sure how it came to be that I was selected for this very important job, but clearly the teacher saw something in little colour-coordinated me. This photo surely must be my first public speaking role (And what a lovely striped shirt). It’s something I have loved doing for as long as I can remember. Just give me a mic, I always like to say. In future posts I will talk about my time in theatre. This post is about antecedents, my dears. For while certainly a performance, public speaking is me representing myself and not a character. Or, perhaps more truthfully, the character is me. Those who went to high school with me will remember they would either see me on stage in plays or having way too much fun doing morning announcements (including what might be considered mini radio-style commercials I wrote and performed with friends). There was also a failed, yet v...

I was an only child for 9 years. In 1980, our family grew when my sister Angela arrived, followed by my sister Marsha in 1982. I’ll defer to my mom to fact check me, but I’m pretty sure I was ok with having siblings arrive. I was drafted for babysitting duties from an early age and tried my best to help my mom. In some ways, I helped raise my sisters and I took that responsibility seriously. I have fond memories of treasure hunts I created for them, and they really loved wheelbarrow rides (especially when it crashed). I remember my sister Angela would talk to me a lot while still in that toddler gibberish stage. She seemed to want to share with me, even though I had no idea what she was saying. She certainly had a lot to say, though. She hasn’t changed. She still likes to talk and share with me. At least now I understand her. My sister Angela is the heart of the three of us. She truly does give herself away. She works in healthcare, and as our dad was dying, I learned more from her ab...

  So, 2021 is the year I turn 50 and I thought it would be fun to put together a selection of key moments of the journey so far in a little exhibition called #Yearof50 . It’s not really about me so much as moments that mean a lot to me. So please indulge me as I rummage through the past and bring up some memories that are the mile posts of the road so travelled. And please share your own memories too. Ahem, so the first entry is this little fella that I assume is hanging out in a park in Ottawa somewhere around 1975 (I’m counting on my mom, Jackiline Hodgins , to let me know). This is one of my favourite moments because it reminds me of my mom, summer, Jiffy Pop, learning to ride a bike, and Janice Joplin, Styx, and Joe Cocker blaring out on vinyl.